Chapter Text
Selina had watched the Bats grow from little chicks to fully fledged, independent birds. She knew Bruce was incredibly proud of them, proud of his little flock he had raised. The fact that this all started from one little boy in the circus, a boy that Bruce saw himself in, a boy that Bruce couldn’t just leave to let his grief swallow him whole. Selina was proud of Bruce, letting himself love and heal. Those kids helped Bruce more than they realized.
She had snuck into the manor, landing softly. It was oddly quiet, but it was daytime, everyone should be home, especially on a saturday. She walked around, looking for the kids. She spotted Alfred dusting off some things in the hallway. She walked over to him. “Miss Selina, a pleasure to find you have yet again snuck in even after Master Bruce gave you a key.” Alfred said with a small smile.
“Why use doors when I can use the window?” She said with a smile, hands on her hips.
She looked down the hall again, no sign of the kids anywhere, and it was mildly unsettling. “Where are the kids? The manor is normally never this quiet.” She said.
“Master Dick is at work, Master Bruce took Master Damian to the museum for his school research paper, Master Jason is angry at Bruce and went to his apartment, Master Cassandra and Stephanie are with Barbra, Master Duke is on patrol, and Master Tim is on temporary house arrest due to sleep deprivation.” Alfred said, easily lifting a heavy piece of furniture to dust underneath it.
“Ah…” Selina said, processing all the information that was just thrown at her. So only one of them was home today. She had an idea. “Thank you Alfred.” She said to him, a smile on her face.
He waved to her as she left smiling. He noticed something was missing from the table he had been dusting. He shook his head with a smile. Sometimes he swore she was more like a crow and not a cat. Time to make sure she didn’t leave the window open.
Selina walked through the hallway of the manor, gently tossing what she had snagged off the table. She looked in the many different rooms of the manor, looking for the little red bird. She heard something from the kitchen, a clatter of pots and pans, followed by a swear. She leaned on the doorframe, looking at the boy as he grumbled at the pans that had fallen down. She looked up and realized what he was after. The coffee. “Your lucky Bruce and Alfred weren’t here. You would have had to add to the swear jar.” She said, crossing her arms.
Tim jolted, whipping around to face her. He did indeed look tired, the bags under his eyes were dark and prominent, his skin pale and gaunt. She walked over to him, avoiding the fallen cooking utensils. “Why are you trying to get more coffee when you look like, for lack of a better word and no offense to your brother Jason, a zombie.” She said, gently pressing her hand to the side of his face.
“Pft… did you really just call Jay a zombie?” Tim asked her with a laugh, pushing her hand away.
“Yes I did.” She said, a smile on her face. She looked at the scattered pots and pans. “Lets get this cleaned up, and then you need sleep.”
He nodded and began to pick up the pots and pans. Selina helped him put them away. Tim picked up one of the pans, standing up. His eyes unfocused slightly, and he staggered. “Woah…” He gasped.
Selina caught him around the shoulders. She held him still until his vision cleared. He blinked, rubbing at his head. Selina looked at him, a concerned look to her. “I’m alright, just stood up too quick.” Tim said, blinking his eyes.
“You sit down at the counter, I’ll finish putting these away.” She said, guiding him to the stool, helping him sit down.
“It’s ok, I can handle it.” Tim said.
Selina gave her best impression of the Batglare. It wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Bruce’s glare, but it seemed to do the trick and Tim sagged against the counter. “I don’t want you getting dizzy and fainting. If you crack your head on the counter Bruce would never forgive me and would probably turn me in to the Gotham PD.” She said, patting Tim’s hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp.
Tim sighed, relaxing against the counter. She smiled and resumed putting the stuff away.
By the time she finished, Tim was almost asleep. She didn’t want to disturb him, but sleeping at the counter would kill his back. She gently patted his shoulder. “Tim, sleeping at the counter isn’t good for you. You would be more comfortable on the couch.” Selina said.
Tim grumbled, lifting his head. She smiled softly, helping him up. He swayed for a moment, exhausted dizziness blinding him. She held him, keeping him steady. Once he was ok again they began to walk to the living room. She layed him down, turning the lights off and pulling a blanket over him. She sat down in the armchair by the couch. She paused, feeling something under the cushion. She reached down and pulled out a book from between the cushions. Her eyes widened but she shrugged and stuffed the book back where it was. Tim eventually did fall asleep and Selina smiled.
About 30 minutes later and Selina had almost fallen asleep as well. She heard a small whimper and her head snapped up, neck popping. She looked at Tim, the boy curling in on himself slightly. She frowned, watching him squirm and whimper. She got up and walked over to him, feet silent. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. He stilled and a sigh escaped him. She sat down on the couch, gently working her fingers through his hair. He layed his head against her leg, relaxing into the couch. Selina smiled softly, gently massaging his scalp, soothing the boy’s nightmare. She let herself lean against the couch, tiredness pulling at her.
Bruce came home to find Selina asleep on the couch. Tim was fast asleep, snoring softly, head resting on her leg. Bruce smiled at them, laying a blanket over Selina, re adjusting the blanket on Tim. He left the room, silent.